For the eighth consecutive year, Sungard Availability Services is taking part in the Crisis Christmas campaign, supporting the charity’s vital work helping single homeless people nationwide.

This Christmas, Crisis expects to welcome more than 4,000 homeless people in from the cold for warmth, support and access to vital services. The charity’s centres provide a hot meal, medical help, dentistry, chiropody, eyecare, haircare and advice and company at what can be a very lonely time of year. So instead of finding a traditional Christmas card in the post from us you can view this year’s rather moving e-card featuring a furry four-legged friend here.

Support from companies like Sungard AS will also help the 10,000 people who will access Crisis’ year round education, training, employment and housing advice services throughout 2016.

The work of Crisis has never been more important. Since 2010, homelessness has been on the rise – the main cause is relationship breakdown – and some 6,508 people slept rough on the capital’s streets last year.

During Christmas week in 2014, more than 30,000 meals were served to around 3,600 guests in London alone, with 656 healthcare consultations taking place across the charity’s centres. There were also ten temporary cinemas and IT cafes, creative workshops, gallery and theatre visits and football sessions coached by Millwall, West Ham and Arsenal, along with teams of advisors helping guests with everything from housing to immigration issues.

Meanwhile, hundreds of guests were also welcomed on Christmas Day and Boxing Day in Newcastle and Edinburgh. One guest highlight at Newcastle was a rough sleeper who initially popped in just for a shower and ended up engaging with a range of services including housing, counselling and healthcare!

“Whatever the causes of an individual’s homelessness, the consequences can be brutal. Homelessness damages people’s capability through loss of skills, through an inability to think about employment while worrying about housing and through their health becoming impaired while homeless. I am delighted that with our support for Crisis, Sungard AS is once again helping to make a big difference to so many vulnerable people’s lives, and we wish everyone a Merry Christmas from all of us here at Sungard AS.”